


Always There

by mymastermine (littlelapin)



Category: Elsword (Video Game)
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:56:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28856958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelapin/pseuds/mymastermine
Summary: It’s Add’s birthday, but he seems to have fallen ill…





	Always There

Falling ill was not on Add’s list of to-do for today–on his birthday of all days. He clutched the sheets closer to him, a vain attempt to fend off the cold and stop his shivers. He had thought nothing could be worse than this. At least, at first anyway. Just a few minutes earlier, “worse” had walked in the form of a crowd of pesky tracers attempting to take care of him. Attempt because all they had been doing since they arrived was bickering.

Add had to give them some credit, as he watched lethargically from his bed. They tried, honestly they did. It began when Arc was flipping between which medicine to pick when Psych suddenly yanked one bottle from his hands, prompting Arc to exclaim, “Give that back!”

“Why?” The younger berserker looked the case over disapprovingly. “He doesn’t need it,” And he stopped to watch Arc consider the other he hadn’t snatched away. “Or that one. He doesn’t need either.”

Arc made a face as if he couldn’t believe what the other was implying. “Oh? Then what do you propose we give him?”

Quickly, he tossed the bottle back to Arc, laughing as he watched him then fumble to catch it. He puffed out his chest proudly, hands on his hips, flashing a toothy grin, “Who needs either when ya have sheer willpower and strength!”

Time walked in just in at that moment to catch Psych’s outburst and Arc’s deadpan look. He looked between the two before moving to stand beside Arc, matching the other’s deadpan stare. “Is that right?” He inquired, arching an eyebrow, “And who told you that?”

“Psyker, of course!”

“… Of course.” Time sighed to himself, pressing a hand to his forehead. How was he always roped into these sorts of situations? It was quite simple though, what the three had to do: stall until Esper, Mastermind, and Psyker were done with the preparations.

Psyche frowned at the two, crossing his arms and pouting, “Fine. What’s your professional advice, Mr. Know-It-All?”

Another sigh escaped the time tracer’s lips, dragging his hand down his face as he looked back to the childish tracer. He opened his mouth, a smart remark at the tip of his tongue, before he remembered what the occasion was.

_“All you have to do is keep Add company and prevent him from coming downstairs,” Psyker instructed the three, pushing them towards the stairs._

_“It can’t be that hard to keep a sick kid occupied, right?” Esper giggled, pulling on the strings of confetti poppers while blowing on party horns and adorning a matching birthday hat._

_“Will you keep it down?” Mastermind hissed at the giggling time hopper, glaring at him before looking back at the tracers, “It’s only for a little while. If Add, well, starts being Add, we’ll switch out with you. Now behave, children, have fun, and don’t kill each other - especially you, Time.”_

To now, he still resented that remark. Behave, Mastermind had told him. That must be easy for him to say when he doesn’t have to deal with a moody Add, a better-than-you Arc, and a hyperactive Psyche. Nonetheless, Time abided by their wishes. He turned to Add, face void of emotions. “How fast do you want to get well?”

“Immediately.” Came Add’s reply, just as empty and hallow as Time’s.

“At any cost?”

“… What did you have in mind?” Add stared at him suspiciously now. Time waved his hand around, creating six familiar looking spatiotemporal bodies that looked exactly like Maximum Strike.

“I’ll go back in time to before you got sick and knock you out with these. Voila, you won’t have the chance to get sick.”

“He’ll also most likely won’t be alive, Time!”

“He did say immediately and at any cost.”

“Time!”

“What? I was just trying to help!” Time glared at a mortified Psyche and annoyed Arc, throwing his miniature Maximum Strikes at the two.

“Hey - watch it!” Psyche growled, countering it with a flick of his hand. Electric bullets threw them offending Maximum Strike, Arc’s drones knocking them out the open window -

At least, they thought it was open. Add threw the covers over his head as the Pulse Cannons and Maximum Strikes met wood, and with a loud crash, created a hole in the wall. Dirt and rubble kicked up, Add inhaled sharply, trying to prevent what was coming, knowing he couldn’t, before he lurched forward and coughed harshly in his hands.

“Lookit what ya did!” Psych’s cry drew the tracers’ attention to the mess they made, while also taking notice of the coughing fit Add had started. As the damage sunk in slowly, Psych, with a fearful tremble in his voice, murmured dejectedly, “Aw man… they’re gonna kill us. We had one job.”

The arc tracer brought a hand to his head, massaging at his temples as if to fend off an incoming headache. “I didn’t do anything. Not only did you two create a mess, you’ve made him sicker.” A wary gaze scanned over the room before settling to look scornfully at the other tracers. “And you could have killed him.”

Time nonchalantly shrugged, sticking his tongue out at them. “Mastermind said not to kill each other.” He waved his hand, gesturing at everyone in the room. “No one has been killed.”

Arc and Psych’s face, previously blank and void of much emotion, was now suddenly full of fear as they nervously hugged one another, staring at Time silently.

The confused tracer tilted his head, frowning because what was with the quick change?

“I did say no killing.”

Time froze fast to where he was standing, shoulders going stiff at the voice looming behind him–the voice that belonged to Mastermind. Now he understood why the two were trembling in fear.

“I also said to behave,” Mastermind continued, a huge smile on his face that did not reach his eyes–eyes regarding the state of the room in obvious disapproval. His eyes finally landed on the hole in the wall and did his best to stop his jaw from dropping. It’s not that he didn’t notice it before but just–how? Mastermind didn’t even know where to begin when suddenly Add coughing weakly shifted his attention.

The tracers weren’t used to Mastermind being so quiet when they’d messed up like this. It was a different kind of silence. It made them hang their heads, gazes falling to the floor. The three lifted their heads at the presence of Psyker just waltzing in.

The brawler stopped part way once he was aware of the atmosphere and scene before him. “What–” He stopped again, however, to assess everything over, taking in the unusually silent Mastermind, the mess, the pitiful looking tracers. His eyes finally shifted to the wall and a look of disbelief ran across his face. “What happened here?” Even though he could see, he wasn’t quite processing. But when no answer came from Mastermind, he was beginning to grasp the situation better.

“Ah, you guys go help Esper, ‘kay?” He motioned behind them to gently nudge them off towards the door.

The tracers quietly left, heads still hanging.

Once they were gone, Psyker heaved a sigh, moving to join Mastermind by Add’s beside. “They meant well, ya know.”

The scientist was quiet a few beats more before releasing his own sigh, “I know.”

Add, usually more talkative than normal, had fallen equally silent, resting back against the pillows. It seemed the dust had made his symptoms worse. He weakly watched the older two talk amongst themselves before managing enough energy to sarcastically ask, “Are you guys going to take care of me too?”

Psyker flashed a confident smirk. “No, we’re going to do better. We’re gonna cure ya.”

The younger tracer gazed at them uncertainly, however his body relaxed some. Because of his earlier experience with the tracers, he was wary. But if he had to put his well-being in anyone else’s hands, Add could, with slight reluctance, say that he preferred it was these two.

-

“I know you guys are trying so keep this a secret, but is the blindfold necessary?”

“Yes,” Mastermind chirped, smile on his face.

“Okay,” Add reluctantly accepted. “But is Psyker carrying me down the stairs also necessary?”

“Damn right it is!” Psyker exclaimed.

All Add could do was simply sigh, too use to their shenanigans by now. He relaxed comfortably against Psyker’s arms when suddenly he noticed how silent it fell. He, too, remained quiet, straining his ears to listen for any sounds because it really was so unusual. If he listened hard enough, he could almost swear he heard the faint sounds of some whispers that were too many pitches too low for him to clearly make out. Getting a little more than suspicious now, he clung to Psyker tighter without realizing it. Add decided to then warily call out, “Psyker? Mastermind–”

Before he could even finish, the blindfold was quickly removed, his sight returning to him and a collective chime and chorus of “happy birthday, Add!” reaching his ears from all angles.

Add looked around, slowly taking in the decorations of colorful streamers, the tracers and Esper popping confetti in his direction while blowing their party horns and cheering more. He bit back his first impulse, to berate them like the scrubs they were for throwing such a petty celebration over something so insignificant - as if they could be this, a small, happy fa–

“… Tch.” Add turned his head, feeling his cheeks heat up at the mere thought. It wasn’t much, but it made certain memories surface: his stern yet good-natured father, his always supportive and smiling mother. Add stared wordlessly down at the chocolate cake before him, decorated in purple with the words “happy birthday, Add!” written on top. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, taking in each smile and teeth-bared grin from the ones around him.

Add came to realize, maybe what he’s been searching for all this time, happened to be right in front of him.

**Author's Note:**

> @ tumblr under mymastermine, as always


End file.
